Meridenite of the Week: Jessica Bruenn

When Jessica Bruenn was a middle school student in Meriden, life took an unexpected turn. Andre Daniels, her then 13-year-old brother, was killed after being hit by a car, and the loss left her without motivation and in a state of depression.

Life was a struggle and that was when she said Mrs. Crane, one of her teachers at Platt High School, pulled her aside and asked her what it is she wanted to do with her life.

“It was the wake up call I needed. I said without thinking ‘I want to be teacher.’ Years later, I realized it made all the difference,” said Bruenn, 35. “Most of my teachers didn’t know what to say or do. She made all the difference in my life.”

Now Bruenn, a fifth-grade teacher at Strong Elementary School in Southington, is in a position where she is providing help to hundreds of students – and the 2011-12 Southington Teacher of the Year couldn’t be any happier.

“It’s the children that keep me going each day, just knowing I could be the one to make a difference,” Bruenn said. “No child should be left to slip through the cracks.”

Born and raised in Meriden where she now lives with her husband Jason Bruenn and their two children, Clayton, 8, and Cohen, 6, Bruenn has been a teacher for 12 years now, including nine years in Southington.

She is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University where she received undergraduate degrees in education as well as in fine arts and theater. She pursued a master’s degree in education from Southern Connecticut University and will also receive a sixth-year degree from SCSU in August.

School Superintendent Joseph V. Erardi Jr. said when he heard the selection committee chose Bruenn from a list of qualified candidates he was thrilled with the selection. Erardi said programs such as KIDSMARATHON, which she developed as a way to get students throughout the district more active, are a prime example of the talent she brings to Southington.

“She loves her work and is relentless in giving up her personal time and professional time for the benefit of our children,” Erardi said. “She epitomizes all of the great teachers we have in this district.”

In the classroom, Bruenn brings a unique style that has captured the attention of her students and helped instill a desire to learn in each of them, said Strong Principal Linda Lackner.

“She gets the children involved in everything they study,” Lackner said. “Last year, she held a confederation skit where each child dressed up to represent a state. Watching it was like watching history come alive.”

Lackner also praised Bruenn’s dedication throughout the community, which starts in the classroom with her partnership in “America Helping Heroes,” a program designed to support returning troops as well as troops overseas.

Bruenn has also worked with area community theaters, is a judge in the annual Miss Greater Waterbury and Brass City Outstanding Pre-teen and Junior pageants, is a member of the “Hugs and Hope Club,” which works with terminally ill children, and is a volunteer who raises money for the Red Cross.

But as much praise as Bruenn received from Lackner, Erardi and other teachers, it’s her students who remain her biggest cheerleaders.

“She’s not just any teacher. She’s Mrs. Bruenn,” said Nick Picone. “She has taught us that we can do the impossible – and she can do anything.”

When asked why they thought Mrs. Bruenn deserved the award, her entire class rushed forward and began giving a checklist of reasons she was the right choice. From her use of interactive materials to the popular program “Friday Forum” that gives the children a chance to share their personal achievements with one another, the students gushed about her style.

Students Taylor Horton and Julia Rafferty each said they learned more about social studies and history in her class because she gets them to act things out rather than just learning it in a book. Her use of the smartboard has also helped them learn, they said.

“She really is the best teacher I’ve had,” Horton said.

Moving forward, Bruenn said she aspires to one day be an administrator where she will be able to reach out to more children and develop policy. But for now, she said she enjoys what she does and encourages others to consider a career in education.

“You never know when you will be able to change the direction of a child’s life. That's why I love this job,” Bruenn said.